When there’s one heat wave after another, you often have no choice but to give up and hope for cooler days. Here’s why it’s getting hotter and how you can get through the summer heat.
Are you feeling hot and sticky? Summers are getting hotter and hotter in Switzerland – at a pace that your circulatory system can barely keep up with. A new summer feeling is spreading, accompanied by headaches, exhaustion and a chilling thought: next year it will only get hotter... Succumbing dazedly to the heatwave rather than the beach bar is apparently the new way to enjoy doing nothing.
Why is it getting hotter and hotter?
Hot summers: a physical challenge
The massive rise in temperature can’t be reversed. But you can start to accept it and adjust to the new hot summers. I’ll show you how in seven, helpful everyday tips for the home so you’re ready for the next heatwave.
Tips for the next heatwave
The good news in this overall rather gloomy scenario is: if you’re generally healthy, you’ll be able to get yourself through hot days just fine, and you won’t need a special medical program to get you through the next heat wave.
1. Lots of fluids
Let’s start with the obvious. You need more fluids in hot temperatures. Your body tries to cool down by sweating more than usual, and as a result, it has an increased need for fluids and electrolytes. Two litres of fluid a day are sufficient for an adult at normal temperatures, but it can be twice as much on hot days.
Lukewarm water, tea or diluted fruit juices are particularly suitable for replenishing fluid stores and cooling the body in the long term. Cold drinks often have the opposite effect and make you sweat even more. To bring the water to body temperature, the body boosts the metabolism and you sweat even more. So the rule is: drink plenty of lukewarm fluids and enjoy them throughout the day.
I'm a sucker for flowery turns of phrase and allegorical language. Clever metaphors are my Kryptonite – even if, sometimes, it's better to just get to the point. Everything I write is edited by my cat, which I reckon is more «pet humanisation» than metaphor. When I'm not at my desk, I enjoy going hiking, taking part in fireside jamming sessions, dragging my exhausted body out to do some sport and hitting the occasional party.
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It may sound exaggerated, but the truth is, the intense heat is an unusual strain on your body. After all, Switzerland is an alpine country, which until recently had a mild climate. Between 1960 and 1985, there was only an average of three to four days in the year when temperatures rose to more than 30 degrees Celsius. In 2022, however, there were 63 days with such hot temperatures here in Switzerland – and your body has to get used to that.
It’s no longer questionable: humans are responsible for the climate crisis and thus for the extreme rise in temperature. This is shown not least by the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which states in no uncertain terms: «Human activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming, with global surface temperature increasing by 1.1 degrees Celcius.» It figures that recently the hottest day on Earth since measurements began in 1880, was recorded. Why it’s getting hotter and what humans have to do with it is illustrated in this video about the natural and anthropogenic (man-made) greenhouse effect (video in German).
The intense heat poses an immediate health risk to humans. Thus, in a short span of 250 years, the planet has already heated up by 1.1 degrees Celsius – in Switzerland it’s already even 2.5 degrees Celsius warmer than when our pre-industrial ancestors were alive. This eclipsed in 2022 with the hottest summer since measurements began.
So having good strategies ready for the next heat wave is preventative health care. As if fatigue, circulatory and concentration problems weren’t exhausting enough, the new temperatures have a whole other set of health risks for you. Heat stress, for example: a condition in which your body can no longer cool itself and your body temperature rises to a fever pitch. Because the body needs to cool down to sleep well, high temperatures reduce sleep quality, as shown by a recent study.
Instinctively, you probably don’t reach for hearty and heavy foods during a heat wave anyway. That’s good too. They’re difficult to digest and have the tendency to stimulate the metabolism and heat up your body. Instead, you should eat light, cooling foods with a high fluid content. Salads, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon or a yogurt are ideal foods for your hot summer dishes. On the other hand, you can have hot meals in the evening when the ambient temperature drops.
I understand the impulse to plunge headfirst into bone-chilling water when it’s 35 degrees Celsius. However, this isn’t the most appropriate way to keep your body cool for a long period of time. Remember: your body is already busy with one temperature extreme and doesn’t need another one – that would just overstrain the circulation. Plus, your body reacts to an ice-cold shower or a jump into a cold mountain lake in the same way as it does to ice-cold drinks, namely by heating up more. A lukewarm shower is much better at keeping your body at a lower temperature. And when things get really hot, you can dab your forearms with cool water now and again – this cools the body immediately.
What your circulation doesn’t need on a hot day is warm, stagnant air. Always air your home in the morning and evening when temperatures are at their lowest and use a fan during the day to move the air around the room. Air movement ensures that sweat evaporates better on the surface of the skin and thus cools the body. Did you know you can also use «evaporative cooling» by hanging damp laundry in your bedroom? The evaporation of the water cools the room and creates a pleasant indoor climate and a good night’s sleep. Instead of putting a wash on every day, a humidifier can also provide cooling.
The right clothing can also counteract the heat. Wear loose and airy clothes made of natural fibres such as cotton, hemp or linen in light rather than dark colours. Synthetic fabrics such as polyester or nylon are mainly made of plastic which prevents the skin from breathing and causes heat to accumulate. Clingy clothing isn’t a great idea either: it prevents air from reaching your skin and stops possible evaporation on the skin’s surface. Make sure you wear clothing that protects your skin from UV rays and your head from sunstroke.
In the Mediterranean region, it’s already an integral part of working culture: the siesta – the extended lunch break. The southern concept is justified, because in hot temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius, you’re body is soon overstrained, concentration decreases and you quickly reach your limits. Even the Austrian Red Cross recommends following the example of South European countries and taking a siesta. That means, if possible, postpone work until the evening and take an extended rest period during the particularly aggressive midday heat.
What you should also postpone until the evening, or even better, the next morning, is exercise. Exercise is also important in the summer, but at the wrong time of day you’re more likely to do damage to your body with it. Your circulation is already very challenged by the high temperatures, which is why you should approach your exercise session gently. Schedule your workout for cooler mornings or evenings and reduce the intensity if necessary to avoid overloading your body. The heat wave isn’t the time for peak athletic performance. Instead, it’s important to allow your body to rest between sessions and to drink enough during training.
